Hallmark Foundation, founded in 2020 with a mission to invest in the future of care to help everyone age well, has formed a partnership with Hourglass, the UK’s only charity focused on tackling the abuse and neglect of older people, to promote safer ageing, drive greater awareness of this form of abuse and examine ways to reduce its impact on older people and the people who care for them.
The partnership is aiming to launch a flagship campaign this summer which will champion safer ageing for all and highlight the main challenges and opportunities for making progress in this area.
Speaking about the partnership, Richard Robinson, CEO of Hourglass, said:
“We are really excited to be embarking on this partnership with Hallmark Foundation and really appreciate the commitment they have made to making safer ageing a reality for all older people at risk of or experiencing abuse. It’s an issue that affects so many people but it barely part of our national conversation. We are hoping our partnership and campaign can turn the tide on that.”
Welcoming the opportunity to work together, Stephen Burke, CEO of Hallmark Foundation, commented:
“It is shameful that this form of abuse is so widespread yet remains largely below the radar. We are committed to helping older people age well, and being safe and free from the risk of abuse is central to that. We are looking forward to collaborating with the team at Hourglass to see what we can do to push this issue up the agenda for the public, for government and for any organisations with a stake in supporting older people.”
The partnership, initially for a year, will see Hallmark Foundation funding major new research which will enable Hourglass to better locate areas of the UK where abuse is an issue and what measures can be taken to tackle it. The pioneering research will also examine how well the UK is doing when it comes to safer ageing and supporting people to age well. which the two organisations are hoping to launch that research around World Elder Abuse Awareness Day in June.
